For Shashank Agrawal, the news of a crore-plus career package did not immediately register as a number. He first had to explain it to his mother. “When I first told my mother, she said, ‘What, ₹12 lakh? What are you saying?’ Then I said, ‘No, Mumma, ₹1 crore 20 lakh.’ She became extremely happy,” Shashank recalled in an interview with Anna Academy.But the moment was not only about the salary. For Shashank Agrawal, who grew up in Baran, Rajasthan, it was also about what the achievement meant to his parents.
30 Sept 2026 | 13:16
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Describing the emotions around the news, Shashank said, “I feel that whatever success we achieve or whatever we do in life, someone has already been watching and struggling for that success before us. That is our parents.”Shashank’s journey has since become an example frequently cited in discussions around competitive exams, IITs and high-paying technology careers. Shashank came from a financially constrained family in which his father earned around ₹3,000 a month. He later secured AIR 20 in JEE Advanced, studied at IIT Bombay and went on to work in technology and quantitative finance. He interned at A.P.T. Portfolio before joining Quadeye and later working as an Analyst at Zanskar Corporation, according to reports.But listening to Shashank speak about the journey, the story is less about a spectacular package and more about how he learned to work with the time and opportunities he had.
Shashank’s father earned around ₹3,000 a month while supporting his education.
‘Hard work is the best for everything’
Asked about the role of luck in success, Shashank did not dismiss it. But he placed the greater emphasis elsewhere. “Luck does work in many places, but if you do not work hard, even good luck will go to waste,” he said. “Hard work is the best for everything. Keep working hard and believe in your vision. Whatever we think about, ultimately we can achieve it.”That belief was tested during his own school years. Shashank openly admitted that he was not always the intensely focused student that his eventual achievements might suggest. “In Class 11 and 12, I used to play a lot of games. I used to play mobile games a lot,” he said.His preparation, he recalled, also had incomplete portions at one stage. Yet when he became serious about his studies, his approach changed. “When I started studying, I did it with my whole heart,” he said. “It was not like I was troubled thinking, ‘What will I do now? How will this happen?’ I started it and still kept going with a smile.”
Shashank says students should believe in themselves and keep improving their skills.
‘If Class 11 is already bad, start studying’
For students who believe a bad Class 11 has already ruined their chances, Shashank’s advice is blunt. “If your Class 11 has already gone bad, it feels a little bad that the year has been wasted. Now you think, ‘How will I recover? What will happen?’” he said.“But look, there is an option: either you will study or you will just keep thinking that Class 11 has gone bad.” For him, the practical choice was obvious. “The best option for you, and for your family too, is to start studying,” he said.He also cautioned students against imagining that they could simply erase the lost time without additional effort. “You will have to work hard. Just because you wasted Class 11, it is not as if you will easily move ahead of those who studied properly,” he said. “There is a time cost. If you wasted Class 11, you will have to give that time somewhere else.”
From Baran to IIT Bombay, Shashank’s journey involved setbacks, persistence and hard work.
The English problem he once worried about
For students who worry that weak English could hold them back, Shashank believes language can become an unnecessary source of fear. He admitted that he had worried about his own English. “I used to think my English was quite bad. I used to wonder, ‘How will I clear the interview?’” he said. But he gradually found ways to improve it.Watching web series and Hollywood films helped him become more comfortable with spoken English, he said, while college professors speaking English helped with listening comprehension.For speaking, he recommends something much simpler.“For the speaking part, you have to practise in front of the mirror,” he said. “I recently did it myself. Introduce yourself in the mirror.”He also suggests mock interviews with friends.“Ask your friends to take your mock interview,” he said. “With friends, you don’t feel that scared.”His larger message is that weak English should be treated as a skill gap rather than a permanent limitation.“Do not be afraid of it. Improve it,” he said.
‘Believe in yourself’
For Shashank, the bigger obstacle is often not where a student starts but what the student begins believing about themselves.“The most important thing for an interview is to start believing in yourself,” he said.“Keep faith in the work you are doing. Believe that this thing can be completed. It can happen.”And if confidence is built gradually, he believes setbacks become easier to handle.“If you have confidence inside you, I think there is no need to be afraid of anyone in the world,” he said. “Today or tomorrow, you will reach the place you want to reach.”For someone whose school years included mobile games, unfinished portions and doubts about his own English, the journey has not followed the image of a perfectly prepared student.Perhaps that is why one of Shashank’s observations stands out.“You do not need to be from an IIT to build a good profile,” he said while discussing opportunities outside the conventional campus-placement route. Students can build projects, develop coding skills and showcase their work, he explained.His own journey, meanwhile, has taken him from a financially constrained childhood to IIT Bombay and a reported crore-plus compensation. But when asked what comes next, he does not sound as though he has mapped out every step.“I do not think too much ahead right now,” he said. “Whatever I do now, I will see what comes next.”For Shashank, perhaps, that is the same philosophy that carried him through the years before the numbers became extraordinary: keep working, keep improving and deal with the next challenge when it arrives.
